Kurt Zadek Lewin
Kurt Zadek Lewin
Lewin is often recognized as the "founder of social psychology" and was one
of the first researchers to study group dynamics and organizational
development.
Lewin's equation
Personality
• To social scientists, personality is the sum total of behaviors, attitudes,
beliefs, and values that are characteristic of an individual.
• Our personality traits determine how we adjust to our environment and
how we react in specific situations.
• No two individuals have the same personalities. Each individual has his
or her own way of interacting with other people and with his or her
social environment.
Personality Development
• People’s personalities continue to develop throughout their lifetimes.
Specific traits change at different rates and to different degrees.
• Some personality traits seem to remain constant throughout a person’s
life, while others undergo dramatic changes.
• Personality development is more obvious during childhood, when
people are experiencing rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual
growth.
• At adulthood, personality traits change at a slower rate. However
personality development varies form individual to individual.
Blending of factors…
• Most social scientists assume that personality and social behavior
result from a blending of heredity and social environmental influences.
• They believe that environmental factors have the greatest influence.
• Heredity, birth order, parents, and cultural environment are among the
principal factors that social scientists see influencing personality and
behavior.
Heredity
• Everyone has certain characteristics that are present at birth. (body
build, hair type, eye color, and skin)
• Heredity characteristics also include certain aptitudes. An aptitude is a
capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire a particular body of
knowledge.
• Example: a natural talent for music and art would be considered an
aptitude.
• However, some aptitudes can be learned and developed because of
environmental factors.
• Example: Parents encouragement
• Heredity provides you with certain biological needs, but culture
determines how you meet those needs.
Cultural Environment
• Culture has a strong influence on personality development. The
cultural environment determines the basic types of personalities that
will be found in a society.
• Each culture gives rise to a series of personality traits – model
personalities – that are typical of members of that society.
• EX. U.S. personalities are competitive, assertiveness and individualism.